Apple
by keep austin wierd
Summary: Bella has just finished college and got her first job as a band director at your average middle school. The other band director happens to be Edward Cullen. Story about band, music, and love.
1. Chapter 1: Teacher Work Day

Chapter One: Teacher Work Day

BPOV

I took a deep breath before stepping out of my blue Corolla. I mustered all the courage I had and walked into the school office.

"Excuse me," I said, catching the attention of the two office secretaries. One was the blonde cheerleader type and the second was the brunette wanna-be type. "I'm the new band director, Bella Swan."

"Welcome to Jones Middle School," the brunette said. "I'm Jessica and this is Lauren." she pointed to the blonde next to her and they both smiled widely and insincerely.

"The band room is on the second floor and your co-worker, Mr. Cullen, is already there. You'll get a chance to meet the other teachers at lunch," Lauren told me, still smiling. I nodded and thanked them to be polite before climbing the flight of stairs. The hallways were eerily quiet, but that's because the students won't be attending until tomorrow. Today was a day for the teachers to get their classrooms ready for the first day of school.

A "Nice," escaped me as I took in the band room. It wasn't too big for the number of students, but the rows wouldn't be cramped. One wall was covered with cubbies for instruments and music, one for every student. There was a low platform for the conductor with four rows of chairs and percussion instruments in the back of the room. Directly in front of me, behind the platform, the ceiling slanted down-ward. I knew the room had great acoustics. I slowly made my way up to the platform and I felt perfectly at home looking out over all the chairs, imagining them filled with young musicians.

"You must be Ms. Swan," a soft said from directly behind me. I jumped and swirled around quickly, attempting to stay upright. But, being me, my foot slipped off the back of the platform and I fell directly on my ass. I blushed before I found the courage to look up and face the person who had just witnessed my fall.

Just my luck: the man who witnessed my fall was the most gorgeous being I have ever laid eyes on. He was about eight inches taller than me, with messy (AKA sexy) bronze hair hanging down over emerald eyes. He had defined cheekbones and his lips curled up into a humorous smile, although it wasn't mocking. And that was only his face. My blush deepened and I'm sure I looked like a tomato. After what felt like an eternity (though it was probably ten seconds) I managed to say something.

"You must be Mr. Cullen." He nodded slightly and reached his hand down to help me up. I grabbed it and he pulled me up without any effort of my own. When it came time to release his incredibly soft and warm, I regretted having to do so.

"Call me Edward, Mr. Cullen makes me feel old," Mr. Cu- Edward told me with a comfortable smile.

"Then I'm Bella. Twenty-two is far too young for titles." My blush was fading and he made me feel at ease.

"So, you've seen the band room. Our office and the rooms for sectionals are across the hall, would you like to see them?" he asked politely.

"Sure. By the way, do you know anything about our schedule, class sizes or anything?" I hadn't been told anything except for what I'd be doing, not when, where, how many.

"Yes, the schedules and information were on my desk when I arrived. We can look at it that later." Edward led me out of the band room, across the hall, and into a little office with two desks, a printer, and a locked cabinet that held reeds.

"Which desk is mine?" I asked, excited that I have an office and a desk. Edward pointed to the desk closest to the door and I sat my backpack on it. I tried out the chair and, much to my delight, it was a spinny chair. I leaned back as far as the chair would allow and propped my feet on the desk.

"Don't flip it over," Edward warned in a serious tone, but his lips flickered up into a smirk. I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"I'm not going to fa-" My last word was cut off as I started to lose my balance and tilt backwards. I grabbed onto the desk to stabilize myself before hopping out of the chair. I took a step backwards to distance myself from what was sure to be my demise. Edward's soft, musical laughter filled the small space, bouncing off the walls.

"I'm sorry; it's rude of me to laugh. Do you want to see the rooms where you'll be doing sectionals before we look at the schedule?" he asked and I nodded, letting him lead me into the hallway. There were four doors to the right of the office. Edward opened the door to one and I saw about fifteen chairs set up around a much smaller platform than the one in the band room.

"So, are the other three like this?" I asked for clarification.

"Yes, they can all fit fifteen comfortable and twenty squished," he stated matter-of-factly. We walked out of the sectional room and back to our office. I pulled my chair in front of Edward's desk and he spread out the schedule it read:

8:15- Swan= beginner saxophones

Cullen= beginner tuba/baritone

9:15- Swan= beginner clarinets

Cullen= beginner French horns

10:15- Swan= off period

Cullen= 7th grade band

11:15- Swan= 8th grade band

Cullen= off period

12:15- lunch

12:45- Swan= beginner flutes

Cullen= beginner trumpets

1:45- Swan= beginner percussion

Cullen= beginner trombones

END OF DAY

"I am so excited! They let me teach what I asked for!" _I got a job and I like it,_ I sung in my head.

"I get to teach what I like too. What's your instrument?" he asked, his voice curious.

"I played the flute throughout school. What about you?" I pegged him for a… soft jazz sax.

"Trumpet, though I've always liked jazz." Well, I got the jazz part right. "We should leave now if we want any lunch," Edward suggested. We stood up, walked down a flight of stairs, and came to a yellow cafeteria. It was your average lunchroom, but the yellow. "Would you like wilted salad or out-date beef?" Edward muttered under his breath as we went through the line.

"I think I'll take the salad," I grumbled. Edward also chose the salad. We started to look for a place to sit when two men waved to Edward. One was lean and blonde; while the other man was tall, buff, and intimidating. Edward waved back and led me over to their table.

"Edward, my man!" the buff guy greeted him loudly, giving him an awkward (on Edward's side) fist bump. The blonde man, in contrast, merely waved.

"Bella, the blonde is Jasper Whitlock and the other is Emmett Cullen. Jasper, Emmett, this is Isabella Swan," he introduced us, always the gentlemen. I shook hands with them and sat down at the table. The salad, when drenched in ranch, wasn't all that bad if you didn't chew it or notice its texture. Lunch was a ten minute ordeal and the conversation was over the students.

"You ready to go?" Edward asked as soon as the last bit of food entered my mouth. I was getting the impression that Edward wasn't a big people person. Once again, he led us back up the staircase and into the band room.

"What needs to be done before tomorrow?" I asked, surveying the room.

"I've already laminated all the name plates of all the students, they just need to be taped onto the cubbies." The next couple hours were spent cutting and taping every students individual name plate. I had to use a chair to reach the top cubbies, something Edward found amusing. For the very top row, I had to stretch up onto my toes. I knew this was a bad idea, but I wasn't going to admit to Edward that I couldn't do it.

"Edward, can you hand me more tape?" I asked, still facing the cubbies on my toes.

"Sure, hold on." I turned around to look for him. Bad idea. Today was an extra clumsy day for me, apparently. The toe of my shoe slipped and I tumbled backwards off the chair.

I prepared for impact, only to fall into waiting arms.

EPOV

Bella's body was lighter than I expected. This is the third 'incident' today alone where she could've caused herself some serious bodily harm. As her frame settled into my arms, I felt her warmth seep into my chest. I noticed her smell: sweet and floral.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. Her blush was cute and endearing.

"I think I should do the top row from now on," I suggested. She nodded and I realized that, much to my dismay, it was time to put her down. I sat her gently on her feet before taking her place on the chair. For another half hour, we worked quietly on finishing the name plates. Once all the names were taped, I found myself staring at Bella from across the office.

Her head was bowed over her lesson plans, her long hair tucked behind her ear. Her nose curved perfectly all the way to the end and it crinkled adorably when she thought hard. Bella's mouth was frowning slightly, trying to figure something out in her head. I caught myself before I started thinking about her eyes. I really can't have these thoughts about a co-worker. Bella interrupted my thoughts before they went farther with a sigh and packed up her bag.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward," she shot me a sweet smile.

This is going to be a strange year.

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**AN: So, this is my new story. Its been in the back of my head and I couldn't leave it alone. I will try to update all my stories in a cycle, so we'll see how that works. The title has nothing to do with the cover of Twilight. It's a play off of the olden days when students gave their teacher an apple to suck up. **

**FUNFACT: I like updating in the morning before school so I have a lot of reviews and emails when I get home. **

**My unofficial Beta, Music ADD, has done AMAZING things for this chapter. It was rough and I knew it. After she worked her magic, it has turned our a lot better. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Day

Chapter Two: The First Day

BPOV

I stood in the office I shared with Edward, staring at the clock. It was 8:04 and the students weren't let into the building for one more minute. My foot was tapping the floor in a fast, staccato rhythm. My fingers were drumming against my thigh, playing scales up and down.

"Bella, you need to calm down before the students get here," Edward said, his lips twitching upward.

"I know, but I'm so excited!" I jumped off the floor a few inches before I manage to calm myself a bit.

"Don't scare the kids," Edward warned, but his lips were raised on the sides in a devilish smile. Then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world

_BBBEEEEEEEPPPPPP. _I jumped up quickly and ran to the sectional room. I stood on the platform with the attendance list on the stand in front of me. I was excited and nervous at the same time. After standing mute and tapping my foot impatiently for a whole minute, the door opened. A short girl with light brown hair stood in the doorway with her rented saxophone, peaking in shyly.

"I'm Hannah," she introduced herself softly, walking in cautiously.

"Hey Hannah, I'm Bella Swan. I'm really glad you're here," I smiled my best and brightest smile. A slight smile crept onto Hannah's face slowly.

The morning had passed perfectly, confirming that this is what I really wanted to do. The bell was about to ring, ending my planning period and starting fourth period classes. I was nervous about teaching eighth grade because they were either more fun and enjoyable or downright rude and disrespectable. The bell sounded, cutting off my thoughts. I passed Edward as I walked into the band room.

"Don't worry about these kids. They are one of the best kids I've ever taught," he smiled kindly at me. I took a deep breath and nodded slowly. Once he left the room, I started setting up all the rows of chairs and checking the stand-to-chair ratio. The students started trickling in, going straight to the wall of cubbies. By the time the bell rang, announcing the beginning of the period, all the sixty-five students were sitting in their chairs and looking at me expectantly.

"You can do it," I muttered to myself before stepping up on the platform. I nearly toppled off again when I noticed the platform slid when I stepped on it. Well, that sucks. I took a deep breath and steadied myself, mentally and physically.

"Good morning," I called, smiling brightly at the group. I got a few scattered 'good morning's, as was expected. "So, I'm Bella Swan and I'm your new teacher. Now, I don't EVER want to be called 'Ms. Swan'. I'm not quite ready to feel old yet, so it's just Bella." I saw a lot of shoulders relax, thinking I would be a pushover. "That does not mean you owe me less respect than any of your other teachers, though. I demand that you treat me with the respect due as your teacher. Now, does anyone have any questions that they'd like addressed?"

The second chair trumpet raised her hand and I glanced at the seating chart before calling on Christina. "How old are you, since you're too young for titles?" she asked, curious.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I'm twenty-two," I admitted. Many of the guys sucked in a breath, realizing that I was only eight or nine years older than them. It would burst their bubble when they found out any relationship between us would be illegal for multiple reasons. "Any other questions?" I asked and I could hear crickets start chirping.

"Warm up number one. One, two, three," I counted off with my voice while hitting the rhythm on my stand using my baton. After the first concert F of the long tone warm up, I knew the band had a beautiful sound. Most people tuned to the tubas and I could tell that a good few practiced a bit over the summer. I conducted the first note change and it was fairly smooth. I cut them off at the last note and the sound echoed perfectly.

OK, this might just work.

"That was much better than I expected," I admitted once they'd been warming up for ten minutes. "Now, we'll start playing at the football games in a couple of months and I know those are fun and exciting, but before we start on that…we're going to do chorales for a couple of days."

"But those aren't fun!" a baritone in the third row cried out.

"I know, but we need to build some musicality before playing upbeat songs." I secretly agreed with him. "So, with that said, turn to page thirty and it's the first chorale on the page," I instructed and waited for all of them find the proper page. I counted them off and the first note sucked.

That wasn't fair. Let me restated that: the first note sucked compared to the rest of the chorale.

"I want a 'da', not a 'pla'," I stressed. They tried again, and that time they were more together than before. One French horn, however, was coming in to early. "I just want to hear French horns on the first note, please," I asked, listening intensely as I stepped off my platform. That one French horn, I think her name is Selene, still wasn't coming in with the rest.

"Once more," I said, flailing my arms so they could see the first beat. I was so excited that Selene finally realized she was playing early every single time that I didn't realize I was backing up.

Until I fell into the open tuba case, that is.

The whole room burst into laughter at the sight of their teacher's limbs sticking over the top of a huge tuba case. I don't blame them, I would have laughed too if I weren't in pain. My hip had found the one sharp, metal point on the whole case and I could feel the bruise forming. The first chair flute, I think her name is Emily, and first chair trombone, who I think is Sam, each took a hand and pulled me out.

"Thanks guys." I smiled at them, a blush spreading across my face. Sam smiled widely and openly while Emily's smile was shy and sweet. They went back to their seats and I returned to my podium, my face beat red. I calmed the class and they settled down, many still with smiles on their faces. There was only one person still laughing in the back of the room and I stood on my toes to see over the tubas.

"It seems Mr. Cullen has something he'd like to share," I said in a jokingly stern voice. The class cracked up again and Edward started to laugh even harder. "Well Mr. Cullen, you earned yourself the honor of escorting me to the nurse after class instead of going to lunch," I smirked at him. He tried to control his laughter, while the students couldn't breath they were laughing so hard at our exchange.

"No I don't have anything to say and I'd love to escort you to the nurse, Ms. Swan." Edward bowed and looked up at me under his lashes. Even when he was across the room his eyes made my heart pound. He slipped out of the door with a wink in my directions and eventually the kids calmed down again. Now there was only five minutes left of class and I could see them begin to get antsy about missing lunch.

"OK, that never leaves the room. Josh, I don't want your tuba case anywhere near me from now on. You need to find another place to put it." I caught Josh's eye and he nodded, though I'm not sure if he took me completely serious. I saw Claire, the cute first chair clarinet, raise her hand and I called on her.

"How come he got away with calling you 'Ms. Swan' but we have to call you 'Bella'?" she asked, her question a valid one. I couldn't tell them the truth: that it sounds so much better when he says it.

"I didn't notice and he has to call me Bella too. OK, class dismissed and I don't want any music left on the stands! I'm not putting it up for you," I warned as the class scattered all around me. Another couple minutes of controlled chaos later, Edward met me in the hallway outside of the band room.

"Do you really need the nurse?" Edward asked, trying to keep a straight face. I pulled up my shirt, exposing the top of my hip. It was a purple-bluish color that was spreading and deepening in color as we watched. "I'll take that as a yes," Edward muttered before he led me down the stairs and into the office.

"Oh Edward, I haven't seen you in ages!" Jessica called out as we passed the front desk. Lauren, needing all the attention, leaned forward and cutting off Jessica's view of us.

"I haven't seen you since last weekend! We need to meet up again," she winked. _Wait, Edward…and Lauren?_ Wow, the world is a pretty messed up place when people like Edward can't get anyone better than Lauren. Edward turned around and gave them both a strained smile before leading me around the corner. He looked down and caught the look on my face, a real smile spreading across his features.

"I ran into Lauren at the grocery store," he chuckled softly, letting me in on his joke. I cracked up and held my side. Laughing hurts my bruise, apparently. Edward heard me wince slightly and said, "Here we are, Alice will get you some ice." Edward opened the door before slamming it quickly. I had only caught a small glimpse before the door closed, but I had seen Jasper and a woman who I assumed was Alice, the nurse, kissing on the cot.

"Why is Jasper kissing the school nurse?" I breathed.

"The nurse is Alice _Whitlock_ and they're expecting their first child in six months," he smirked at me. My mouth formed an 'O'. Before I could say anything else, an obnoxious voice called my name. I turned to find Lauren waving a note in my face.

"I was supposed to give this to you this morning, but I forgot. Mrs. Cullen, the vice principal, wants to meet all the new teachers, so you should probably go see her." Her voice was snotty but her smile towards Edward was sickly sweet. I didn't care because all I could think was '_Mrs. Cullen?'_

"Rosalie is my sister-in-law and Emmett's wife," Edward whispered in my ear as we walked away. It finally clicked and I couldn't help the relieved smile that spread across my face. Edward reached the door first and opened it before slamming it shut.

"Edward?" I asked, my voice confused.

"Let me put it like this: We're expecting Rosalie to announce her pregnancy any day now."

* * *

**AN: I know I haven't updated in a long while, but I have excuses that I'm not going to make you read. Now I've introduced Rose and Alice, but I just couldn't picture them as teachers. **

**FUNFACT: This weekend, I had two sleepovers back-to-back so I'm totaly exhausted.**

**Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	3. Chapter 3: In My Story

Chapter Three: In My Story…

BPOV 

I'm a flute player so I can say this with confidence: there isn't an uglier sound in the universe than a beginning flute player. I'd have to say a beginning violin player is next, but flute is definitely number one. With that said, I was glad I hadn't had time to eat before beginner flute lessons. I brought my flute with me and sat it on my chair before standing in front of the stand. Thirty seconds later, a girl walked in with a snotty attitude.

I already didn't like her and that can't be a good sign.

"Is this, like, the flute room?" she asked, sounding as stuck up as she looks.

"Yes, it is. I'm Bella Swan," I smiled as warmly as I could.

"Courtney. So, where do I sit?" Umm, OK. I shrugged and she took that to mean the seat directly in front of my stand. Oh goodie. More girls started coming in and taking the remaining seats. When the bell rang, there were eight flutes. Too many for one room, trust me.

"Welcome to the beginner flute lesson. I'm Bella Swan, but just call me Bella. This year will be nothing but flute, but starting next year you'll play with the other sections. Before we start, does everyone have a flute with them?" I asked, looking around. They all nodded or said a polite 'yes ma'am'. Except Courtney, that is.

"My flute is solid silver, which is said to have a better tone than regular _metal_ ones," she boasted. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes they are, but metal flutes are better for beginners. Silver flutes are better for high school and college level, but I guess you can learn on one. Silver does sound better if you know what you're doing. Gold mouthpieces, on the other hand, are even better than silver." I couldn't help but pull out my baby. Buster, my flute, had a gold mouthpiece and a solid silver body.

"That's a very pretty flute," Gabriel, a sweet girl, said nicely.

"Why thank you, Gabriel," I smiled widely at her. Is it horrible that I've already picked favorites?

EPOV

I stepped out of my beginner trombone class with bruises covering ever inch of my shoulders. Beginning trombones like to fling the slide all the way out, and it invariably hits me. I sighed as I flopped into the chair at my desk. Bella walked in with her hands over her ears.

"I have flute screeches bouncing around my ear drums an hour after they were played," she winced, easing her hands off her ears slowly.

"That's why I don't teach flute," I chuckled. Before she could respond, however, her stomach grumbled loudly.

"I need some food. I shouldn't have skipped lunch," Bella admitted, starting to gather her stuff.

"I know the best place. Why don't we go together?" I blurted out without thinking. This wasn't the smartest idea. I was already far too attracted to Bella to see her outside of school. She looked surprised, but nodded slowly.

"Where do you have in mind?" she asked hesitantly.

"A great little Mexican place and it's very close to the school. If you want, I can give you a ride," I said as casually as I could.

"That sounds great, if you don't mind." Bella seemed as cautious as I am.

"Grab your stuff and let's go, then." I wanted us to get to the restaurant and the awkwardness to go away. An awkward five minutes later, we were getting out of my Volvo. The Latin beat of the music set the mood as we walked into the small room. The smell of tomatoes and spices was inviting.

"Two?" a waiter asked, holding up two fingers. I nodded and, accidently bumping into Bella as I walked up the stairs, followed the waiter to our table. We slipped into out booths and ordered our drinks quickly.

"What do you recommend?" Bella asked quietly. Well, at least there was some talking now.

"The fajitas are especially good," I suggested. Two minutes later, we had both ordered our dinner. "So," I said, trying to start a conversation. "What made you want to be a band director?"

"I've always loved music and how all the different instruments fit together in band compositions. I also had the best band director in eighth grade. She made it fun to go to band every day, and I wanted to love my job as much as she did." She spoke carefully, thinking through every word before saying it. "What about you?" she asked, looking up at me expectantly.

"I was the nerd all throughout school. Band was one of the few places that I fit in. Music has helped me through some of the hardest moments in my life. Besides, what's not fun about being a band director?" I asked rhetorically. Bella laughed heartily and the beautiful sound bounced around the small restaurant.

"Just drop in on my beginner flute period and you'll have your answer." The food came and the conversation flowed smoothly. We talked about everything from work to college to our families. Every now and then, Bella's leg would bump into mine under the table and she would blush lightly. I, instead of being embarrassed, loved to see her blush. After an hour or so of easy conversation, I saw Bella yawn and sink deeper into her booth.

"Why don't I give you a ride home?" I suggested.

"What about my car? How would I get to school tomorrow morning?" Bella asked, though her eyelids drooped a bit.

"I can give you a ride tomorrow, don't worry about it." She nodded apprehensively and started to pull out her wallet. "Bella, let me pay for dinner."

"No, I can handle it," she insisted, pulling out a twenty.

"I know you can, but I want to." I stared into her brown eyes and I watched them become unfocused. The waiter tapped my shoulder and I slipped him enough money to cover both of our meals with a nice tip. Bella caught the waiter walking away and she started glaring at me. Her glare was interrupted by a wide yawn.

"Ready to go?" I smirked at her. Bella rolled her eyes but stood up anyway. We made our way to the Volvo and, once in the car, I flipped on some classical music. "Where are we going?" I asked Bella.

"Take a left at this next intersection and follow it down to the apartment building on Main Street," she instructed as she sunk into the seat. By the time I'd found her building, Bella was fast asleep. Well, at least I get to be the knight in shining armor and carry her up to her room. I opened my door, made my way to Bella's side, and gently lifted her out of the car.

This is the point in the story where the knight lifts the maiden out of the car effortlessly. In my story, however, this is when I find out I need to hit the gym more often. Bella was the perfect size, so the problem was me. I stumble backward before I found my balance center again. I walked as evenly as I could to the front door and eventually made it to the elevator.

This is the point in the story where the knight knows exactly where the maiden's room is. In my story, however, I have absolutely no idea which apartment is Bella's out of the dozens of apartments in this ten story building. I also don't have her key, so even if I knew what number her room was, I wouldn't have a way to get in. I sighed at my wonderful luck. I leaned up against the wall and slowly shook Bella awake.

This is the point in the story where the maiden wakes up slowly, fluttering her long, beautiful eyelashes. In my story, however, Bella sat up quickly and smacked me in the face.

"Edward, I'm so sorry!" Bella cried. I was too busy pinching my nose between my fingers and bending over in a fetal position.

"It's fine," I hissed through my teeth. I counted to ten in my head before I looked up at Bella, who had worry in her eyes. "Sorry I had to wake you up," I managed in a normal tone of voice. "I didn't know which apartment was yours."

"Oh, it's 504. Wait, you carried me into my building?" she asked, looking around at our surroundings. I nodded sheepishly and a beautiful blush spread across her features. "Thank you very much, Edward, and I appreciate everything. I think I've got it from here, though, and I'll see you tomorrow morning when you pick me up, right?" I nodded again, not knowing what I should say.

This is the point in the story where the knight kisses the beautiful maiden and all the little kids watching the Disney movie cover their eyes and make gagging noises. In my story, however, Bella stuck out her hand awkwardly and I shook it quickly. At least I get to feel her soft skin and long fingers that are perfect for playing the flute. Wow, isn't that a romantic thought?

"See you tomorrow," I told her softly before fast walking it out of that building. I sat in the car with my head resting against the steering wheel, enjoying the silence. I jumped and nearly whacked my head on the ceiling of my Volvo when my cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Edward, dear, how are you?" my mother's excited voice came through the speaker.

"Hey Mom, what's up?" I sighed, knowing that my mother will have a lot of questions about my new co-worker. S

"How is she, Edward? Is she pretty? Do you like her? What's her name?" she fired off without hesitating.

"Her name is Isabella but she goes by Bella, she's very pretty, yes I like her, and she's very good," I answered honestly, knowing that she will now try to set us up.

"Really? That's wonderful! You have to bring her home for dinner this weekend, Edward. I simply have to meet her," Mom squealed in my ear. OK, it's time to end this conversation.

"Mom, you're breaking up. I can't-" I slammed the phone shut with my teeth as the light turned green.

This is the point in the story where the knight sweeps the maiden off her feet and they live happily ever after. In my story, thankfully, I haven't ruined that part yet.

* * *

**AN: I know I haven't updated this story in a while, but I was in Austin for spring break!! I hope to see some reviews for this chapter. I also hope I'm as funny as I think I am...**

**FUNFACT: I like using the little silverware. I don't know why, but I do.**

**Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	4. Chapter 4: It's a Date

Chapter Four: It's a Date

BPOV

I was sitting on the curb in front of my apartment building, waiting for Edward to pick me up for school. If I hadn't been half asleep, I would've insisted he drove me back to school so I could use my own car. I sighed. Now the butt of my jeans is going to be dirty.

"Hello, doll face," a rough voice called behind me. I figured it was a construction worker on his way to work, so I flipped him the bird over my shoulder. When I turned around to see who it was, I saw an older grandfather hugging his granddaughter behind me. The mother of the little girl was staring at me, thoroughly confused. Edward, at that moment, pulled up in front of me.

"Why, pray tell, did you flip off a nice old man?" Edward asked, trying to hold back his laughter. I rolled my eyes and restrained myself from flipping him off too as I climbed into the Volvo.

"I thought he was a rude construction worker," I explained, slightly embarrassed. Edward tried to hide his wide grin by turning back to face the road. We sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence until, about five minutes later, a car came out of nowhere and Edward slam on the breaks quickly.

"SHIT!" Edward yelled loudly, a reflex reaction. Once the adrenaline rush was gone, Edward's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Sorry about that." I started laughing loudly and couldn't stop for a solid twenty seconds.

"I'm sorry, but we are such bad role models for our students." I cracked up again and this time, Edward joined in. By the time we had stopped laughing, we were already in the parking lot. We arrived at the same time as the buses rolled in. I glared at the tacky yellow school buses. I hate yellow school buses and I don't know why. Edward and I stepped into the office together and went up to the desk to check in.

"You know how bad this looks, right?" Edward muttered in my ear. Against my will, my whole body shivered at his proximity. I focused on his point. We come in together before eight in the morning and my hair looked like sex hair because I'd been sitting outside in the wind, waiting for Edward to pick me up.

Yeah, that looked pretty bad.

It was all worth it, because I got to see the look on Jessica and Lauren's faces. Lauren's draw dropped down to her incredibly low neck line and her eyes narrowed in disgust. In contrast, Jessica clenched her teeth and her eyes got wider with shock. Edward and I kept our cool and merely smiled at them as we took turns signing our names on the teacher sign in sheet.

"How are you doing today, girls?" I asked politely, rubbing it in a bit. I could've sworn Lauren mutter "I was better before you walked in," but Jessica covered for her.

"We're OK. What about you, Edward?" Her smile was overly bright and made her fake lips stand out. She couldn't be over thirty and she's already had plastic surgery on her lips?

"I'm OK," he said blithely. I could feel his leg bouncing up and down, clearly dying to get out. Edward grabbed my hand and my heart stopped beating, even though I knew it didn't mean anything.

EPOV

Holding Bella's hand felt natural and comfortable. I knew I should've let go, but as we walked up the stairs to the band room, I couldn't make myself release her hand. It felt soft and warm under my thumb. As soon as we were in the right hallway, the bell rang and students started pouring out of the walls. I reluctantly let go of Bella's hand.

"I suppose I should let the saxophones play this time," she sighed. Her face was flushed, but I couldn't guess why. We both started out of the office and headed towards the practice rooms. From across the hall, I heard Bella's beautiful voice saying, "Hey Hannah, are you ready to play today?" Josh and Marcus walked in together and took seats at the front.

"Hey, how are you guys?" I asked casually, trying to put them at ease. They shrugged in typical teenage guy fashion. "Any girls that you're trying to impress?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the stand. I liked to know my students…and I got a twisted pleasure in embarrassing them.

"We'll tell you, after you tell us," Josh bargained, raising an eyebrow. What the heck, no names are going to be mentioned.

"There's one…but the whole impressing part isn't going as planned," I smiled widely at them and they cracked up. All the beginners get used to me not acting like a teacher. I felt a presence walk in as I was talking and turned to the door. A seventh grade girl was staring wide-eyed at the awkward scene before her.

"If you can't get a girl, sir, those two don't have a chance," she said breathlessly. OK, that's uncomfortable. I liked to befriend my students, not freak them out and make them feel bad.

"If I was a girl, I'd date them," I attempted to defend them without thinking. Wow, that sounded bad. "Moving on, what did you need?" I said in a rush. I couldn't act professional to save my life.

"You need to pass these out to each of your classes throughout the day," the girl said, handing me a huge stack of pointless papers.

"Thank you," I said politely, trying to make up for scarring her earlier. After she had backed out of the room cautiously, I glanced down at the paper. Apparently there's a dance in two days. "Well, you two dashing young men will have a chance to get a girl at the dance. Good luck." By that time, the rest of the class had trickled in and I passed the papers around. I returned to my podium and tapped the stand to get their attention.

"OK, today we will work more on buzzing on the mouthpiece. If you can't buzz on the mouthpiece, then you can't make a sound on the actual instrument…"

BPOV

On my way into the band room for fourth period, I passed Edward in the halls. "How are the seventh graders coming along?" I asked politely.

"I hope that they get better," Edward grimaced slightly. I laughed and kept walking, glad I got the older group. Soon, the students trickled in and many greeted me cheerfully. I especially liked Claire and Emily, the flute and clarinet first chairs. They sat closest to me and chattered excitedly about the welcome to school dance. I had handed out sheets about that in my earlier classes and I learned that Edward and I were required to chaperone this event in two days.

"Do you girls have dates for the dance?" I asked. Before they could answer, two trumpets made a nasty sound on purpose. "Excuse me," I told Claire and Emily politely before slowly walking around the band to the back. I felt fifty eyes on me as I approached the trumpets. Fourth and fifth chairs were Embry and Quil, the people I'd already pegged as the class clowns.

"QUIL! EMBRY!" I yelled once I was right in front of them. "NO playing before class, ZERO!" I didn't want to be mean and reward their behavior, so I left it at. Once at the front of the room again, I turned to Claire and Emily and smiled widely. "So, back to our conversation, do you girls have dates?"

"Emily does!" Claire cried out and Emily blushed deeply. Despite her embarrassment, a beautiful smile spread across her features.

"I'm going with, um…Sam," she muttered but her smile never faltered.

"You two are so cute together," I beamed at Emily when she sheepishly met my eyes. I turned to Claire and asked, "What about you?"

"I'm going with Quil," Claire said simply, not ashamed.

"You mean that I just yelled at your boyfriend?" Claire and Quil? The more I think about it, the more I like it.

"Yeah, but I do it all the time so don't worry about it," Claire said nonchalantly, waving an airy hand. I started laughing hysterically and had to lean on my stand to support myself. Claire and Emily looked at me strangely, but I managed to pull myself together when the bell rang.

"OK everybody, horns up!" I called over all the children. "Tone builder number 1." I conducted the rhythm for the percussion and at the first note I knew that today was not going to be a good pitch day. Not only was the weather humid, but half the clarinets sounded like they were playing on new reeds and the other half sound like they need a new one. At the end of the first tone builder, I cut them off without letting them continue to the second tone builder.

"Today, we're tuning." When the time came to tell them to pack up, I wasn't sorry. There was zero pitch center and nothing works out when pitches don't match. After everyone rushed out the door to get to lunch, I went back to my office and collapsed on my chair.

"I could hear the pitch halfway down the hallway," Edward remarked without looking up.

"I don't doubt it," I said flatly. I had just started unwrapping my lunch when Edward spoke up.

"You know the dance on Friday?" My head shot up and I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, we have to chaperone."

"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me." I searched his face for a sign of his intentions, but his features stayed the same.

"As friends or…a date?" I asked cautiously.

"You can make it anything you want," he said honestly and sweetly. The next words out of my mouth scared the crap out of me.

"It's a date. Pick me up at six thirty."

* * *

**AN: I'm sorry I haven't updated anything for a week, but I've had History Day things everyday after school. We're the fourth in the state!! Too bad fourth doesn't get anything.**

**FUNFACT: I made Emily first chair flute because I'm Emma and first chair flute. **

**A big thanks for my unofficial Beta, Music ADD, for all she does for me. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	5. Chapter 5: Falling Slowly

Chapter Five: Falling Slowly

EPOV

I tugged at the bow tie on my suit nervously, feeling like the stereotypical self-conscious teenage. I was in the elevator on my way to Bella's apartment. True, this wasn't a real date, but Bella had said, and I quote, "It's a date." It's kind of sad that our first kind of date is chaperoning a middle school dance, but it's more than kind of OK with me because I'll be with Bella.

And then I was at Bella's door. I knocked a couple times and stepped away from the doorway.

"Coming!" Bella's muffled voice called from the other side of the door. I took a deep breath.

And the breath came whooshing out of me when Bella flung the door open. She was in a spaghetti strap, light yellow dress that went to her knees. The neckline was a modest V-neck and her long, brown hair tumbled over her shoulders in waves. The red lipstick brought out her full lips and matched the red bow she had tucked in her hair. The whole effect was very _Beauty and the Beast_.

If Bella is Belle, does that make me the beast?

I managed to remember my manners and grabbed her hand, kissing it softly. I held it longer than courtesy required before letting it fall back to her side.

"Are you ready to go?" Bella asked, a beautiful blush as bright as her lips spreading over her cheeks.

"Of course." I offered her my arm and she took it hesitantly before relaxing against my side.

BPOV

"Bella!" Claire and Emily came running up to me as soon as I walked into the school gym.

"I'm going to check with Rose, who's in charge of the dance. I'll be right back," Edward whispered in my ear before slipping away. I watched him go before Claire and Emily squeezed me into a tight hug. They squealed in my ear before letting me go.

"Are you dating Mr. Cullen?" Claire asked, not one to beat around the bush.

"Claire, we can't assume they're dating just because they came together, Mr. Cullen whispered in her ear, and…" Emily stopped talking and Claire rolled her eyes good naturedly. Four eyes were trained on me. Instead of meeting them, I looked around the gym.

The typical streamers were hanging from the rafters. On one side of the room, there was a large table with punch and other snacks. The room was already half full with teenagers in their Sunday best and big smiles on their faces. There were awkward couples scattered about and large groups of single kids. I took in Claire and Emily, who were wearing the same, off-the-shoulder dress. The only difference was the color. Claire wore bright fuchsia that matched her personality and Emily was wearing a light blue that matched her hair.

"You two look very lovely," I said truthfully. I was also hoping they would forget their earlier inquiry, but no such luck.

"Why thank you. But what about you and Mr. Cullen?" Claire pressed. I bit my lip. These were my two favorite students and they felt more like friends than anything else, but… What they heck, they can keep a secret.

"This is…technically a date. But don't tell anyone yet." I said the last sentence in a rush. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Then Claire's face turned to a look of horror and disgust.

"I don't want to think about my teachers doing ANYTHING like…" Her voice trailed off and my face turned bright red. Without warning, I burst into laughter.

"Claire, Emily, would you care to explain what happened to Bella?" Edward's smooth voice came from behind me. His hand was on the small of my back in a failing attempt to calm me.

"She traumatized me for life and you want to know what _I_ did to _her_?" Claire stared at Edward incredulously and that seemed to confuse him even more. I overcame my laughter and decided to put them all out of their misery.

"Don't you girls have your own dates to tease?" I smirked. Edward laughed softly under his breath.

"I guess. Have fun, Bella," Emily said and Claire winked as they spun on their heels. Their dresses whooshed and spun out and I watched Quil and Sam's jaws drop.

"OK, let's forget that ever happened. What did Rosalie say?" I asked, turning to face Edward. It put me closer to him than I expected, but I didn't want to back up. Edward seemed to find his bearings and started talking.

"Rosalie said that we will be floaters, but we will mainly be in charge of stopping 'inappropriate activities' behind the school. So, that'll be fun. If we see anything, we get to blow the whistle." Edward lifted his arms and settled a red lanyard with a whistle attached to it on my neck. He kept talking, but I noticed that his hands lingered on the back of my neck longer than necessary. "After the first dance, we are supposed to start patrolling the back of the school."

"Fun." The sarcasm in my voice was ill disguised. A voice came from the speakers against the walls of the gym, startling me.

"_Ladies and germs, welcome to the dance! Everyone is just here to have a good time, so get your boogie on and break it down on the dance floor!_" I turned and saw Emmett, Edward's brother, speaking into the microphone. Turns out he's the DJ for tonight. I think it definitely fits his personality.

"Meet me by the punch at the end of the first song." Edward's whisper made me shudder and, before I could blink, he wasn't beside me.

Why does he have to look so good in a suit? Really, it's not fair. When I dress up, I look like…me in a dress. When Edward dresses up, he's even better than usual. The black jacket made his pale skin stand out and the contrast made him even more stunning. I was startled out of my mental ogling by a change in beat. I guess that's the end of the first song. I met Edward at the punch bowl, where he was waiting with two cups. He handed one to me and took a sip of his own.

"Ready to make the rounds?" Edward asked, smirking slightly at my hesitant expression. I nodded and we walked into the cool night air.

"Let's split up and meet here in five minutes?" I suggested and Edward nodded. I was about to leave when he leaned in and kissed my cheek softly.

"If you're not back in five minutes, I'll come look for you," he whispered. My cheek burned where his lips had been. After a solid minute, I took a deep breath and started moving. The first half of the school was clear of students but, farther on, I saw two shadows on the wall of the art trailer. As I edged around the corner, I got ready to blow the whistle. I froze when I recognized the students.

Claire and Quil were slow dancing to their own music, revolving on the spot. They looked so cute together. I was proud to see that Quil kept his hands to himself and Claire wasn't babbling away during such a touching moment. She does have a filter after all. I watched them for a few moments, knowing I should stop them but not being able to make myself break the spell.

"Now I know where you were." The soft voice came from directly behind me. Knowing it was Edward, I didn't turn around.

"I know I should stop them, but I can't," I explained, watching the couple closely. Quil had taken one hand off of Claire's waist and angled her head up slowly. I turned around in an attempt to give them some privacy. I trusted them to behave enough that I didn't have to watch their every move. When I turned around, it put me much closer to Edward than I expected.

EPOV

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms lightly around her waist. The fabric of her yellow dress flapped against my arm in the light breeze.

"Hi," she breathed and her eyes were glazed over. She shook her head, like she was trying to shake something off, and said quickly, "Sorry, that came out air-brained." I smiled.

"Hi," I said, humor evident in my voice. She smiled slowly and I gently pulled her closer. My actions were natural. I tried hard _not _to think, to be run purely by emotions. However much I didn't want them, pesky thoughts filled my mind.

The thing that I questioned the most is what Bella wanted from me. I would give her whatever she asked for, anything at all. I would _become_ whatever she needed me to be. The problem: she didn't ask. Thoughts continued to swirl as Bella looked up at me in the moonlight with innocence in her eyes. I couldn't possibly take her trust for granted. It was at that moment that I decided I would wait for her to ask.

"We should get back," I whispered and effectively broke the silence that had settled over us. I kissed her forehead as lightly as I could and let go all of her except her hand. She looked confused but tightened her grip on my hand. She glanced back once at the two students who were still dancing behind the school.

"If anyone asks, we never saw them," Bella muttered conspiratorially under her breath. I chuckled lightly but nodded solemnly.

"Of course, love. We were never here." 'Love'? Where did that come from? I pulled her along gently by her hand and right before we stepped into the gym, Bella stopped and pulled me back. The beat of the song was vibrating on the wall and I could tell it was one of the few slow songs Emmett would play tonight.

"As a precursory warning, I can't dance at all. But this is my favorite song and I was wondering if…you would dance with me?" A blush spread across her face and her eyes pleaded with me silently.

"Of course, love." There was that love again. I pushed open the door and Bella followed behind me. I led her to the middle of the gym and gently placed my hand on her waist. After my recent decision to follow her lead, I waited until Bella moved closer to me before placing my other hand on her waist. Hesitantly, she rested her head on my chest. I hummed the melody softly and Bella's soprano joined my tenor in a perfect harmony.

"Falling slowly sing your melody  
I'll sing along"

Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard

* * *

**AN: I know it's been ages since I've updated. I hope this chapter makes up for it. I kinda like this one. The song, 'Falling Slowly', is a very pretty song, if you'd like to check it out. Next story I'll update is 'The Children', so look out for that. **

**FUNFACT: I am totally exhausted as I type this because I was up too late the past few nights reading. Whoops.**

**Thanks to my unofficial beta, Music ADD. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	6. Chapter 6: Flatterer

Chapter Six: Flatterer

BPOV

"Thank you for a great night," I said as we climbed in Edward's car at the end of the night. He didn't respond. Instead, he shot me a smile that made my heart respond.

That man should not be allowed to wear a suit.

As Edward started the Volvo, my mind wandered back in time. Edward had been a perfect gentleman all night. Although most of the night was spent being responsible chaperones, we danced a couple times and I even danced with Emmett. He nearly dropped me. Twice.

Enough said.

A phone in the consol rang loudly and interrupted my thoughts. I reached for it instinctively, thinking I was in my own car. I glanced at the caller ID and saw 'Mom'. Without taking the time to think about how my phone is blue and this one was black, I flicked it open.

"Hey, Mom," I said.

"I'm not your mother." Oh. Whoops. That was when it hit me: I had answered Edward's phone and called his mother 'Mom'.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm so sorry. Edward is right-" I stuttered out quickly, but she cut me off.

"Oh, is this Bella? It's so nice to meet you! I'm Edward's mother, Esme." How did she know my name? Had Edward mentioned me before?

"It's very nice to meet you, too. But I'm sure you called to talk to Edward, he's right beside me," I said, about to pass the phone to Edward.

"Actually dear, I was going to speak to him about you. Since you'll be spending so much time with Edward, I wanted to invite you to spend the day with our family tomorrow. Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie will be there too. I've wanted to meet you since Edward told me about you. Will you please come?" Esme said in a rush. She sounded truly excited and I suppose I wanted to go, but I wanted to check with Edward first. I covered the speaker with my palm and turned to Edward.

"Would you mind if I went with you to spend the day with your family tomorrow?" I whispered. Edward sighed deeply, but nodded his consent.

"If you think you can handle it, I'd love to have you there." Aw, he's so sweet. I smiled involuntarily.

"I'd love to come, Mrs. Cullen. Thank you for inviting me," I said honestly. I was beginning to get excited about meeting Edward's family.

"Thank _you _for accepting my invitation. I've heard so many positive things about you from Edward and I can't wait to meet you in person." I smiled at her enthusiastic tone. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Edward holding his hand out for his phone.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Mrs. Cullen. I'll hand you over to Edward now," I said awkwardly, passing the phone off.

"I will talk to you about this later, Mother," he nearly growled before snapping the phone shut and squeezing it in his hand. "Sorry about her, she likes to be very involved in her children's lives," he explained unnecessarily.

"It's not a problem. But, are you sure you're OK with me meeting your family? I wouldn't want to intrude," I insisted.

"I'd love for you to come with me tomorrow. I think I should warn you, though. My mother -bless her soul- will probably pressure you about…us," he said, wincing slightly.

"Warning received." I winced slightly as well. That's bound to be awkward. By then, Edward had pulled up in front of my apartment building. I climbed out of the Volvo and was surprised to see Edward also getting out.

"Let me walk you to your apartment." Edward's voice carried on the wind and the stars twinkled above us. I nodded and the two of us stepped through the glass doors, out of the night and into the brightly light lobby. Edward and I were silent as we stepped into the elevator. I reached out to press the button on the panel and let my hand fall back to my side. Edward slipped his hand into mine and they mingled with the fabric of my dress.

His hand was soft and his touch was light.

"What time are you picking me up tomorrow morning?" I asked, needing to concentrate on something other than our hands.

"How about…nine? It's a two hour drive to my parent's house." Concentrating on Edward's voice wasn't much better than his hand.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll meet you outside my apartment b-building," I said, stumbling a bit over the last word. Edward had interlaced our fingers, squeezed my hand tightly, and let them swing a bit, making my stomach flutter pleasantly. Though it was pleasant, it was also very distracting. The elevator door finally slid open and Edward and I slipped out of the elevator and down my hallway.

Edward held onto my hand tightly the whole way.

As we reached my door, I turned around to face Edward. "I had a great time tonight. Thank you, Edward," I said, breaking the deep silence. I smiled widely up at him.

"I always have a great time when I'm with you," Edward said, the ends of his mouth turning up slightly.

"Aw, you're such a good flatterer. You'll go far, Edward Cullen," I joked and patted his cheek with my free hand. Edward laughed softly and squeezed my hand tightly.

"It's not flattery when it's true," Edward whispered. His breath hit my face and I realized how close we were.

"Uh…I guess so," I muttered, just to keep up the conversation. Edward smirked slightly at the shakiness of my voice and leaned in so our faces were mere inches apart. He started closing the gap between us even more, obviously leaning in to kiss me.

Did I want him to kiss me? Yes.

Was I scared? Hell yes.

I chickened out. I was a wimp, a baby, or whatever other name you'd like to call me. Instead of meeting him halfway like I wanted to, I jerked to the side quickly and kissed his cheek.

"I…I'll see you tomorrow, Edward," I stammered quickly. I slipped out of his embrace and squeezed into my apartment as quickly as I could. I leaned up against the door and listened to my heart beat slow down gradually. The only thought running through my mind was:

My hand feels cold.

EPOV

I stepped out of the Volvo Saturday morning with a feeling of excitement in my gut. Today was a big day and I think Bella knew that. This was a make it or break it kind of day.

The item on the chopping block: a relationship.

Namely: Mine and Bella's.

Level of importance: How high does my scale go?

I stepped out of the elevator and took a deep breath at her door. I raised my fist and rapped the door with my knuckles. Instead of coming to the door, she yelled through the door.

"Come in, I overslept!" I opened the door slowly and took in her apartment. It had a medium sized living room with a TV and a sofa. The kitchen was attached to the living room and the counters were clean and tidy. The pictures on the walls were of Bella at her prom, with her friends, and with her parents. My eyes were drawn to the picture of Bella as a little girl. She had her hair in a bob and a headband keeping her bangs out of her eyes. She was wearing a bright green dress and I estimated that she was in kindergarten.

"Edward, do I look alright?" Bella asked from behind me. I turned around to see Bella twirling her hair nervously. I had no clue why she was nervous about the way she looked, though. She, of course, looked perfect. She had on dark-wash jeans and a midnight blue V-neck shirt that tightened at the waist and flared out from there. Half of her hair was pulled back into a silver clip and she had a simple, silver necklace that brought attention to her beautiful collar bone.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," I said honestly. I stepped forward and took her hand out of her hair. I kissed her hand softly before letting it drop. She didn't return it to her hair, but chose to tuck it in her pocket instead.

"Thanks. Let me grab my phone and I'll be ready to go," she said quickly.

* * *

"Bella, stop shaking," I commanded as I pulled into my parents driveway. I put my hand on her knee and she stopped bouncing her leg. She had done that the whole car ride. "I need you to _listen to me_. My parents will love you. You look beautiful. You are an amazing person. You will make it out alive. I will stay with you the whole time. You have _nothing_ to worry about. Are we clear?" Bella looked at me with trusting eyes and she nodded slowly. Her hair fell around her face and I forced myself not to brush it away.

"Come on, let's get this over with," she sighed and climbed out of the car. She stood there for a few seconds, taking in the house. It was a classic and timeless white house with a wrap around porch, a white porch swing completing the picture of perfection.

"Edward!!" Alice, the school nurse, yelled from the front door. I smiled widely and wrapped my arm around Bella before pulling her towards the house.

"It's great to see you, Alice. How's the baby?" I asked once we were closer to Alice.

"I puke my guts out every morning and my head hurts every night. On the plus side, there's only six months left," she smiled brightly. Uh…yeah, very grateful about the whole physically-unable-to-be-pregnant thing.

"Hi Alice," Bella said softly from my side.

"Bella, I'm so glad that you came!" Alice cried loudly. She pulled both of us into a hug and squeezed tightly. Bella was pressed even more tightly to my side.

"Alice, we can't breath," I managed to say clearly enough to be understood. She let go of us and grabbed Bella's hand, tugging her out of my grip.

"Mom wants to meet you so badly. Come on," Alice said, pulling her through the door.

And, just like that, I had unintentionally abandoned Bella to face my mother with just Alice by her side.

BPOV

"Bella! I'm so happy to finally meet you. You are even more beautiful than Edward said you were, which is a difficult feat," Edward's mom said after Alice pulled me into the kitchen. I glanced behind me and didn't see Edward anywhere.

Oh _shit_! What happened to "I'll stay with you the whole time"?

"It's nice to meet you too, Esme," I replied politely. She pulled me into a tight hug which was unmistakably motherly. I expected her to let go after a couple of seconds, but she just squeezed even tighter and rocked us back and forth.

"Honey, let her go. Edward would be very upset if we killed Bella," a deep voice said from behind me. Esme sighed and let go of me. I turned around and found myself face-to-face with an older, blonde man. "I'm Edward's father, Carlisle, and it's very nice to finally meet you." He flashed me his perfect, white teeth as I shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Carlisle," I told him, giving him a smile of my own.

"Carlisle, it's time to start up the grill. When you see Edward, tell him to come see me," Esme instructed. Carlisle, being the good husband he was, did as he was told and left through the kitchen door. "So Bella," Esme said, turning her attention on me again, "how do you like your job?"

"I love it. The kids are wonderful and, from what I can tell from only a week, it is a very rewarding job," I answered honestly.

"Hey Mom," Edward's voice said from behind me. Esme's face light up at the sight of her youngest child.

"Edward, come give your mother a hug," she cried and wrapped her arms around him. She let him go and he stepped back to my side. His arm found its way back to my waist.

"I won't leave you again, I swear," he whispered in my ear. My heart fluttered spastically.

I think I took his words more seriously than they were meant.

* * *

**AN: The last week of school is always hectic, and I apologize. I have two more days of school (!!!!) and I'll try to find more time to write during the summer. I wanted to thank all the loyal readers who read and review my stories. Know that your feedback is very much appreciated. **

**FUNFACT: I found an amazing CD this week that makes me happy: 'Losing Sleep' by Parachute. Check it out**

**Thanks to my unofficial beta, Music ADD. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	7. Chapter 7: Tree House

Chapter Seven: Tree House

BPOV

"Bella!" Emmett boomed as I stepped out the back door and into the yard. Edward kept a tight hold on my hand, true to his promise not to leave me. Rosalie waved at me from across the yard, where she was talking to Alice and Jasper. Everyone else was accounted for, but Emmett was nowhere to be seen.

"Edward, where's Emmett hiding?" I asked, still scanning the yard. Edward chuckled and pointed up. My eyes followed his hand to where Emmett was sitting in a rather large tree house that was resting on a large, low branch of an oak tree.

"Bella, get up here!" he yelled again. I turned to Edward with a look of fear. Edward chuckled.

"It's safe, I promise. If it holds Emmett, it will hold us too," he reassured me. I nodded and turned to face the tree house, which was a good twenty feet up in the tree. The ladder swung unsteadily as Emmett shook it from the top to indicate his impatience.

So, I've always been afraid of heights. When I was a learning to climb and crawl as a baby, I was scared to climb onto the couch. At age 10, I was scared to walk up the stairs without someone with me. When I turned 14, I was the only one of my friends who didn't ride the ferris wheel at the state fair. When I was 21, I drove home for the holidays because the time I'd flown, the plane experienced more turbulence than I could stand. Heights and I don't mix.

But, Edward would be with me. I took a deep breath and pulled Edward over to the tree house. I reached a tentative hand to touch the ladder before turning back to face Edward.

"I'm going to be really pissed if you don't catch me," I threatened. It was my way of saying, 'I trust you enough to catch me when I fall," but I couldn't say that out loud.

"I promise to catch you," he said seriously. I nodded before taking another long, deep breath. _Come on Bella, you can do this_.

I started putting one foot above the other while never taking my eyes off the tree trunk directly in front of me. The ladder swung slightly as I moved, but I tried my hardest to ignore the motion. The seconds seemed to drag on and each time I raised my leg, it seemed like it weighed a ton. Eventually, my hands reached the top rung and Emmett reached out to help me up.

"I've got you, Belly," Emmett said, reading my mind. I liked the nickname, too. It was something only Emmett would come up with. He pulled me up easily and I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt the solid wood beneath me. I quickly scrambled up to my feet before pressing my back against the trunk of the tree.

"Belly, the tree house isn't falling to the ground anytime soon. Chill," Emmett advised. I wanted to look down to see if Edward was coming up, but I decided that would be a very bad idea. Instead of looking down, I looked out. Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie were staring up at me as I gripped the trunk of the tree.

I'd actually never been introduced to Rosalie. I'd walked in on her with Emmett, worked in the same building, and I knew her name, but I'd never actually spoken to her. I'd met Alice on my way into the house. I met Jasper and at lunch on the teacher work day, but our classrooms weren't in the same part of the building so I never ran into him in the hallway. I waved at the three people on the ground awkwardly.

"Hey Bella," Jasper yelled up as they waved back. I could see they were fighting back their laughter, but I tried not to notice. Thank God Edward climbed the ladder quicker than I did. I saw his messy bronze hair peeking over the floor of the tree house and the rest of him quickly followed. He took one look at me and he cracked. His laughter echoed throughout the huge yard and the others quickly joined in.

"That's right, mock the mentally unstable woman," I joked loudly enough for Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper to hear. I could see the humor in the situation and joined in their laughter. "I don't really like heights. It must've had something to do with something I said at a Christmas party last year," I added cheekily and there was a new bout of laughter.

Well, at least they thought I was funny.

"Bella, you're too tense. Loosen up, they won't eat you," Edward insisted and I reluctantly let go of the tree. "That's better. By the way, do you see the windows right across the yard?" he asked, pointing to a wall full of windows. I could see the outline of a piano and a couch directly across from the tree house.

"Is that your room?" I asked, interested to see the room Edward grew up in.

"Yeah, I'll show it to you after we eat," he promised. Just as I was beginning to adjust to being twenty feet off the ground, Alice yelled from the ground.

"Bella, get back down here! I'm so excited! I want to show you my room. Oh, and we _must _go shopping," she said the last part seriously, and it made me a little nervous. Shopping wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but I wanted to get to know Alice. I'm sure I'd like her.

"I think you should go first," I suggested to Edward. He laughed and nodded before turning around and starting to climb down. Emmett completely ignored the ladder and started swinging on the branches like Tarzan on steroids. I gulped before making myself put my foot on the top rung.

I carefully lowered myself down towards the ground. It was slightly easier going down because I knew I wouldn't have to worry when I got to the end. I put on a burst of speed to get it over with more quickly, and I did surprising well.

Until the last rung, anyway.

I was _so _close. My foot slipped at the very end and I fell backwards, too startled to tighten my hands on their rungs. Instead, I closed my eyes in shock and bit back my scream. I was surprised when two arms caught me and I was even _more _surprised when I landed on the body that the arms belonged to.

"Edward, are you alright?" I asked frantically, flipping over so I could see him. I was surprised to see him smiling.

"I'm fine, love. Don't worry about me. Now, if you're OK, Alice is bouncing out her skin," he said. I stood up carefully and straightened my shirt. I looked up when I felt eyes on me and I saw Esme peeking out of the kitchen window. I could've sworn she winked at me before disappearing from view. I blushed so deeply, I'm sure I looked like an American flag with my white arms, blue shirt, and red face.

"Bella, get your ass over here!" Alice yelled. I blushed even harder at the mention of my ass. Edward chuckled and took my hand loosely, giving me the chance to let go. Instead, I gripped his hand harder. We walked to the corner of the yard and Alice pulled me into a tight hug.

She felt tiny in my arms. I would've thought she was as fragile as a toothpick if that toothpick hadn't been squeezing the life out of me. Alice had spiky black hair and didn't even come to shoulder, despite the almost two inches of hair. When she let go of me, I shook Rosalie's hand. She was gorgeous, of course. Blonde, long legs, and blue eyes. My brown eyes couldn't compare, but I answered her polite smile with a smile of my own.

"I'm Rosalie Cullen. I meant to meet you earlier, but…things came up," she finished with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Emmett said with a laugh as he wrapped arm around Rosalie. I, of course, blushed.

"Bella, come on. I want you to see my closet! I might even have something for you to wear…" she muttered, deep in thought. Thankfully, Esme saved me.

"Dinner is ready, kids! Hurry up or it'll be cold," she yelled from the back door. We filed through the door and found our seats at the table. I sat between Esme and Edward and across from Alice. Dinner passed quickly and the conversation focused on school and work. I enjoyed watching the way they interacted. As an only child, I've always been curious about what it was like to have siblings.

After desert, Esme suggested that Edward show me his room. We headed up the grand staircase and were silent until we reached his hallway.

"You've been awfully quiet, Bella. Is everything alright?" Edward asked. He stopped in the middle of the hallway next to a door.

"I was just watching and listening. I love the way your family interacts with each other. You guys obviously love each other," I explained, blushing a little. He took my hand and kissed it softly.

"As far as we're concerned, you are one of us too, love," he murmured against my hand. He pulled his head up and loosened his grip on my hand, obviously giving me the chance to let his hand go without it being awkward.

I didn't want to let go.

EsmePOV

I'm just so excited!! Edward was so happy and talkative during dinner and I caught the looks Edward and Bella shared. It's every mother's dream, to see all her children happy.

Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

I knew they weren't technically together but, according to Rose, they had an official date Friday. I felt a little bad for interrupting them with my phone call, but if I hadn't I knew Edward would never have stepped up and invited her to dinner. Well, now that she knows all my children, I'm sure Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie won't let Bella slip of their radar. Once the Cullen's meet a person and like them, we don't forget and loose touch.

I just have to give them time.

I knew that, and yet I was still feeling meddlesome. At least I can call Alice anytime and know she'll help me with any scheme I come up with. I'll have to think about some reasonable possibilities later.

At any rate, I had no doubt that Bella and Edward would be together soon.

The staff at Jones Middle School are going to have a lot of gossiping to do.

* * *

**AN: I'm back!! YAY! I had an amazing vacation, but I am now back in home and writing when I get the chance. I hope I haven't lost too many readers because I haven't updated :(. So...I have a present for you guys :). I'm posting another chapter of 'Apple' within the next hour, so look for that. **

**FUNFACT: I loved Duke TIP (nerd camp) and San Fransisco. If anyone gets the chance to go to either: DO IT!! Seriously, some amazing places and people.**

**A huge hud to my Beta, Music ADD, for all the stupid mistakes she caught for me. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	8. Chapter 8: Eighth Graders & Water Stains

Chapter Eight: Eighth Graders and Water Stains

BPOV

Monday mornings.

They suck. That's a commonly acknowledged fact. But today, I was nervous on top of the normal Monday morning dread.

I'd have to see Edward again.

I haven't talked to him since Saturday night when he walked me up to my apartment. Of course, the whole day had been perfect. I love his family, they seemed to like me, Edward had been a perfect gentleman, and I hadn't tripped over anything. Well…except for the tree house incident, but I'd rather not talk about that.

But that's beside the point. The point is: Edward almost kissed me, again. That's twice in two days.

Of course, that's twice in two days I've chickened out.

He had leaned forward slowly, giving me time to pull away while letting me know that he wanted to kiss me. I was going to kiss him, until the last second. I kissed the corner of his lip carefully, which was my way of saying 'I want to, but not yet'. It wasn't a friendly kiss on the cheek, but it wasn't a full on-the-lips kiss either.

I wanted to kiss Edward, don't get me wrong. He is so amazing and never pushes me while letting me know that I have a choice. I knew he was waiting until I was ready and I appreciated that. I just…wasn't ready yet. I've always been wary when it comes to relationships. I want to know the person before jumping into a relationship, and I knew Edward understood.

I was nervous because I didn't know how to act around someone that I liked, but hadn't kissed when I'd had the opportunity.

Of course, I didn't have a lot of time to worry because Edward walked into the office while I was thinking. I decided to follow his lead.

"Hey Bella, how are you?" he asked casually, kissing my cheek quickly before walking to his desk.

Well, I suppose I was freaking out for no reason. Hmm.

"I'm fine," I responded brightly.

"How was your weekend, lovely eighth graders?" I asked before starting class. A chorus of 'Goods!' echoed around the room.

"How about you, Bella?" Emily asked sweetly.

"Mine was wonderful." I smiled, thinking of how great of a time I had with Edward and his family.

"How was your Friday night, Bella?" Claire asked boldly.

"You went with Mr. Cullen, didn't you?" asked Sam, the first chair trombonist who took Emily to the dance.

"Friday was a lot of fun, and yes, I did go with Edward," I answered quickly before raising my baton. Once the question was asked, I couldn't ignore it. I was about to count them off, trying to avoid any more question, but Claire just couldn't help herself.

"Wait! Did you kiss him?" I blushed, of course. Not because I'd kissed him, but because even my fourteen year old students can tell I'd wanted to. "You did!"

"Claire, I can't tell you. I have to be _somewhat_ professional." There had to be some line and I drew it at my love life. They could know who I went to their school dance with because it involved them, but what we did outside of that wasn't appropriate to tell them.

"But, Bella-" Claire started, but a voice from the back of the classroom stopped her.

"Claire, you should know that you owe Bella," Edward smirked. I gasped, remembering Claire and Quil behind the school.

"Oh, that's right! You owe me _big time_," I announced happily. For a student as outspoken as Claire, it was easier to have a little dirt on her.

"Whisper it in my ear to see if I think it's important enough to stop pestering you," she said, tapping her ear.

OK, so I knew that, as a teacher, I was supposed to not let the students run me. But this felt harmless enough to me. I knew that if I were serious, Claire would listen to me. Even so, I decided to have a talk with her after class to remind her that I'm still the teacher.

"Speaking of a kiss…" I said loudly Claire.

"You didn't. You wouldn't!" Claire gasped. I smiled and leaned down to whisper for her ears alone.

"I saw you and Quil behind the school during the dance, as did Ed-Mr. Cullen. I could've easily stopped you, but I trusted you enough to let you be. I left when you kissed Quil, but I could easily call your mother and tell her you slept with Quil. I'm sure she'd be very angry," I taunted a bit, but I think she deserved it.

"But I didn't sle- do that!" she insisted loudly. I looked up to see the whole class laughing at this whole exchange. Edward had made his way to the marker board and began cleaning it off, which was probably his reason for entering the room. He had a huge smile on his face.

"I know that, sweetheart, but your mother doesn't," I smirked. Claire huffed loudly.

"Fine, I suppose I'll let you get away with not admitting to kissing Mr. Cullen."

"Thank you, that's all I ask for," I said serenely. I turned my attention back to the snickering students and realized I'd wasted too much time. "If you guys could regain control of yourselves, I would greatly appreciate it. Now, tomorrow after school is the first football game. We will meet in the band room at the end of the day and a bus will take us over to the high school football stadium. Bring money for dinner, which you'll get at a discount before the game starts. Wear your band shirt with tennis shoes and blue jeans. No denim shorts, capris, or anything that shows the ankle. No negotiating. When I blow the whistle, I expect you to get quiet quickly because that means I'll be calling out our next song. You have third quarter off, but if you aren't back in your seats by the time fourth quarter starts, you'll be sitting with me during third quarter next game. Understood?" I asked.

"Yes, Bella" echoed throughout the room.

"Now, tone builder number one," I said, raising my baton and counting them off.

"Pack up, you're free to go." I dismissed the class to go to lunch. Claire started to get up, but I stopped her with a hand. The rest of the class was fine without me, so I sat down in the second chair's seat next to Claire.

"What is it, Bella?" Claire asked, sounding confused.

"Claire, I like you. You're a great student and a wonderful person. I just want to make sure that you understand that, despite how casual I am and how I like to know my students personally, I'm still the teacher. Joking is fine, but you need to realize that a time will come when I will tell you to stop, and I expect your obedience. I'm not getting onto you, I just want to make myself clear." Claire nodded.

"I understand." I smiled and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Go get some lunch," I said, pushing her gently towards the door.

"Bella," she said, turning around, "thanks. For not getting Quil and me in trouble Friday night, I mean."

"Honey, if Quil can handle your mouth, then more power to him," I joked lightly. Claire's mouth dropped open and she looked like she didn't know whether to yell in shock or laugh.

And then I realized the double meaning to my words.

"NO. No, I meant that he could handle your talking, not…that!" I insisted loudly. Claire was rolling on the ground, laughing her ass off. "Remember our little talk a minute ago? Well, now I'm giving you an order I expect to be followed: that misunderstanding stays in this room. Do you understand me?"

"Can I at least tell Quil? He should know how highly you think of him," she said with a giggle.

"If anyone other than Quil hears about that, it's your head," I warned.

"Of course, Ms. Swan. I have nothing but respect for your wishes. Now, I will do as you suggested earlier and get some lunch." She was still laughing as she skipped out of the room. I collapsed on the floor dramatically.

"Shit, I can't believe that came out of my mouth," I muttered, blushing furiously. I rarely intentionally made dirty jokes, they just come out.

And then my life got even more embarrassing.

"I think you handled that very maturely," an unmistakable voice said from the door. I groaned and rolled over on the floor with my face buried in the carpet.

"Thanks so much, Edward darling," I said as sarcastically as I could manage with my face pressed against carpet from at least the eighties. He didn't answer immediately, but when he did, he was right next to me.

"Bella dearest, I have just the thing to cheer you up. I have two sandwiches with our names on it. I even brought you a chocolate dessert…" he trailed off.

"I will love you forever if you bring the food to my permanent residence: the band room floor between my stand and the clarinet section," I pleaded. I even lifted my head to pull the puppy dog eyes on him. He shook his head, hardly believing he was letting himself be manipulated.

"I'll hold you to that promise, love," he muttered, kissing me cheek quickly before disappearing from my sight. A minute later, I heard Edward laying down next to me. "Your sandwich, as promised."

"Thank you," I mumbled, turning over to lie on my back. I took the sandwich from Edward's hand and took a bite. "This is the best PB&J I've ever had. Congratulations, you have been awarded Bella Swan's highest culinary award."

"If you think that was good, I'd love the chance to really cook for you. I've been meaning to ask you, but would you like to have dinner in my apartment Wednesday evening?" he asked casually.

"I'd love to, thank you," I accepted graciously. If Edward learned anything from Esme, then Edward would be an exceptional cook.

"I'll pick you up at six," he said. I nodded in agreement.

"The water stain on the ceiling looks like a tuba," I said randomly, taking another bite of my sandwich.

"Sure, OK. Whatever you say," Edward agreed good naturedly.

I knew there was a reason I kept him around.

* * *

**AN: The second chapter, as promised. I actually really like this one, but tell me what YOU thought by dropping a lovely review by clicking on the lovely button at the bottom of the screen. You see it? Just...right there :)**

**FUNFACT: The sandwich was invented by a guy who wanted an easy way to eat while he gambled. I thought it was appropriate given the food eaten in this chapter.**

**Thanks to Music Add for...well, everything. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	9. Chapter 9: Alma Mater

Chapter Nine: Alma Mater

BPOV

"Settle down children, settle down," I called over the talkative students. Band kids are always squirmy when they don't have their instruments in the band room. When they don't have a mouthpiece to their face, they talk nonstop. I sighed and yelled, "QUIET!" I smiled as the whole room fell silent.

"So," I continued, "Mr. Cullen was nice enough to load all of the large instruments this morning. I expect you to thank him when you see him next. Now, meet in the band room as soon as the last bell rings. Loitering in the hallways is not allowed. Bring your backpacks with you because I can't let you go back to your lockers. The game starts at 6:30 and I hope all of your parents can come. Concessions are open at 5:30 and are half off for the band. I…think that's it. Any questions?" No one spoke. "In that case, I'll start the movie. We're watching one of my favorites; 'Enchanted'."

"I love that movie!" Claire yelled from the first row. Of course she does. Claire screams '_musicals_'.

"I'm not surprised. Anyways, if you stay quiet, you're allowed to move seats. If you get too loud or disrupt others trying to watch the movie, I'll make you more back to your assigned seats. Now, disperse!" I heard a huge rustle of clothing as they all stood up and started moving around. I pulled the TV up to the front, stuck in the DVD, pressed play, walked to the back of the room, and flipped the lights off. I slumped against the back wall and put my head on my knees.

"Ms. Swan, are you feeling well?" Edward's velvety voice came from beside me.

"I'm nervous," I admitted in a whisper. I heard Edward sit next to me before I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. I hesitated for a second, knowing we were in a room full of eighth graders, and finally decided it didn't matter and leaned into Edward's shoulder.

"Love, calm down. These kids know the songs well enough that they will cover up any mistake you may make and…I'll be there. I won't let anything happen," he whispered. I was surprised to feel him kiss the top of my head, but it felt nice and relaxing.

"I know, but all the parents and other band directors will be there and I need to make a good impression for my first school-wide event."

"They'll be very impressed with you, especially your connection to the students," Edward said in his soothing voice. I nodded against his shoulder and sighed.

"OK, but you can't leave me. You'll be my security blanket for the day," I said seriously, but Edward laughed quietly.

"Of course, sweetie." Edward leaned against the wall, pulling me even closer to him than before.

It should've felt awkward. I should've shied away. I should've noticed that I was in a roomful of kids. Instead, I noticed how his thumb rubbed my shoulder. I noticed my heart beat speed up. I noticed how close we were. I noticed how incredibly soft his shirt felt against my cheek.

I didn't, however, hear the footsteps approaching us

"Bella," Claire's deviant voice said from above us. I jumped back a few inches and glared in response to Claire's smirk. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Of course you aren't. What do you need?" I said in a resigned voice.

"Can I go to the restroom?" she asked innocently.

Oh, yeah right. I'll bet you anything she saw Edward come in and not stand back up.

"Be back in five minutes," I said, dismissing her with a wave of my hand.

"As you were, Bella and Mr. Cullen," she said cheekily. I blushed as she walked out of the door.

"She's going to kill me one of these days," I muttered.

* * *

Yellow school buses.

I hate them. The seats stick to my leg when it is hot and, growing up, we always had to sit three to a seat. In third grade, someone spilt their lunch all over me. In seventh grade, a bully threw my homework out the window. In tenth grade, someone sat directly on top of me for the whole twenty-five minute ride home. In twelfth grade, a couple made out directly in front of me.

It was understandable for me to be excited to step out of the bus. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the stadium. A five foot tall statue of the mascot, a tiger, on a podium demanded my attention. Once I pulled my eyes away from the ugly, overly-artistic representation of school pride, the rest of the stadium looked average.

"Kids, gather!" I yelled to the kids piling off both buses. They slowly started to congregate around me. Edward slipped through to stand slightly behind me. "I want you all on your best behavior. Remember, Edw-Mr. Cullen and I can take away third quarter privileges. Flutes and percussion, there are stands under the bleachers that were set out last night, so they may be a little wet and rusty. All cases, backpacks, and other bags should go beside the bleachers, inside the 'L' shape formed by the wheelchair ramp. As soon as your stuff is dropped and stands are set up on the proper rows, you may go clog your arteries for half price. Now, get out of my hair!"

"Those kids love you," Edward chuckled in my ear. I smiled at his compliment and watched my babies sprint towards the bleachers, ready to eat.

"I love them. If I ever have kids, I want them to have a little bit of each of my band kids in them." I smiled as Quil held Claire's hand and kissed her forehead. They're just so cute together.

"Stop stalking Claire and Quil. I know you like them together, but staring at them isn't doing any of you any good," Edward teased. He surprised me by wrapping an arm around my waist lightly. "I'm going to get dinner. Do you want me to get you something?" I nodded and he left after giving my hip a slight squeeze. I blushed and scurried away to mingle with the kids.

"Bella!" Claire yelled when she saw me. I turned around and smiled at Sam, Emily, Claire, and Quil.

"Hey guys. Are you ready to play some music?" I asked in a horrible impersonation of a sports commentator.

"Sure," Sam said, hardly cracking a smile. He was so serious, but it worked with Emily's serene and soft-spoken ways.

* * *

"Breathe, love," Edward whispered in my ear.

"I'm trying," I snapped at him before deciding to heed his advice. I ran my eyes over my kids, who were all warmed up, in their seats, and ready to play. I was nervous, but Edward's hand on my shoulder calmed me down. The band took up at the top two thirds of a section of the stands and I stood a few rows below the flutes so that the tubas at the top could see my beat.

"_Please stand for the Alma Mater and fight song played by the eighth grade band and directed by Isabella Swan,_" the announcer said over the loudspeaker. The parents and other students stood and turned to stare at our section.

"Shit, oh crap, ahh," I muttered under my breath frantically. Edward stealthily rubbed my arm in an attempt to calm me as he stepped down a row. I met the eyes of the percussionist to make sure they were watching me. Slowly, I raised my arms and prepared to give a down beat. I moved my hands four times, counting a measure.

Then my arm came down and the deciding first note was played.

And it was about then that I realized how stupid and anti-climatic I was. Music is music, whether it was played inside or outside and regardless of who the director was. I knew music, felt comfortable around it. As the first few measures blasted out of my brass, I felt myself sinking into an overwhelming sense of familiarity. I forgot that over a hundred parents and band directors from the whole school district were watching me, judging me and how I conducted the crescendo. All I was aware of was the harmonies, the beat, the determined looks on my kids' faces as they fingered the notes and stared at the music, and….

Edward's hand on the small of my back. I jumped and nearly lost my place in the music before trying to ignore his hand. There was no way I could possibly have focused if I hadn't blocked it out completely.

I held the last fermata before clenching my fist to cut the note off. I conducted the fight song on auto-pilot while smiling my face off. I knew I could do it, I knew I would be OK. I even started skipping and dancing through the bleachers, pulling Edward along after me by the hand. I was so excited to have gotten through the Alma Mater. Edward and I started singing the chant and running through the band kids who were making the hand motions that went along with the chant. The percussionists knew the chant so well that I didn't even have to cut them off. I met back up with Edward at the front of the band and waited for their screams and laughter to die down. The percussionists all had their chests puffed out with pride, excited to have the attention on them. I picked up the megaphone so they could all hear me.

"Great job guys! We have the rest of the game to go, so keep it up." The band started chatting as soon as I finished speaking and I let them, deciding to wait a few minutes after kick off before playing another song.

"I don't know what you were so worried about," Edward said softly from directly by my ear. I nearly melted before turning to face him. I was going to say something witty, but it got stuck in my throat. His perfect green eyes sparkled with innocent amusement.

In all honesty, I didn't know what I'd been so worried about either.

* * *

**AN: I apologize for the wait, the not-so-wonderful chapter, and it not being edited by my amazing beta, Music ADD. Excuses: school, band, and writer's block. Again, SORRY**

**FUNFACT: I was out until almost one last night watching Pocohontas and eating Sweet and Salty Chex mis (the best) with some of my best friends and parental supervision. I'm such a bad teenager :)**

**I hope that the long periods between updates hasn't lost any readers/reviewers, and I don't think I thank the ones that I do have enough, so...I love you all. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	10. Chapter 10: Claire's Story

Chapter Ten: Claire's Story

EPOV

I stared in awe. Bella went from nervous to confident in a matter of two beats. She transformed before my eyes and became the confident Bella that I cared for so much. I felt a pull towards her and I stepped up to the next row. I carefully put my hand on the small of Bella's back and I felt her start a little. I smiled and relished the feeling of her body heat on my hand. After she ended the song, Bella surprised me by grabbing my hand and pulling me through the crowd of kids.

Claire met my eyes and had the audacity to raise her eyebrows at our clasped hands. I winked and her eyes widened as she started laughing. Bella took off through a row and I let go of her hand to go to the row above. I started doing the hand motions that went along with the chant and the kids yelled out the words. I glanced down at the end of the row and saw that none of the parents were watching the cheerleader's perfectly choreographed routine. Instead, they were watching the band's pure excitement and adrenaline.

The percussionists were in their element. I met Steven's, the first chair percussionist, eye and he smiled while he continued hitting his snare at a flying, but controlled, tempo. I was impressed that none of them had chicken arms, which is were their elbows stick out and their arms fly too far up to keep a fast tempo. As they began the ending sequence, I ran back down to meet Bella at the front of the band. At the last click, the band starts laughing, screaming, and applauding themselves.

There was something about the thrill music gives me that makes me want to experience it over and over again. Everything about music draws me in. The trumpet melodies that you hum under your breath for the rest of the day, the bass drum that you feel in your chest when you put you hand over your heart, the first and second part clarinet harmonies, the short, scrawny guy playing the huge tuba with the best air support I've seen in a middle school kid, the trombones stretching their arms to hit seventh position, the happiness it gives people, the excitement and emotions that goes beyond half notes, quarter notes, slurs, accents, black notes, black lines, white pages.

I was startled when Bella started yelling something along the lines of, "Keep it up." I moved to stand directly behind her and leaned down close to her ear so she could hear me over the loud kids.

"I don't know what you were so worried about," I said. I saw her shoulders release some of the tension that she'd been holding all day and tried to hold back a chuckle. She turned to look at me and I thought she was going to say something, but instead she just stared at me.

"Neither do I. Thank you," she said sincerely. Bella surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. I relaxed and wrapped my arms around her waist lightly and enjoyed her perfect smell. Bella pulled back suddenly and her face was bright red.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. I shouldn't have done that, much less in front of the kids. Pretend like I didn't," Bella said, turning away from me.

"It's not a big deal, love. They weren't paying attention and I didn't mind at all." I smiled at her rambling. She's cute when she's nervous.

"Claire, Emily, and Alice were paying attention," she mumbled under her breath, her blush becoming more pronounced. I glanced up and saw Alice whispering to Claire and Emily. They started giggling ominously. I'm sure Alice was having a blast telling all about Bella and me. Fate hates us.

"Ignore them. They are probably just gossiping about Brittany Spears, T Pain, and Angelina and Brad." That was bull shit. They were talking about us and Bella knew it, but she nodded anyway and swallowed my lie. I looked up again and met Alice's eyes, giving her my best glare. In response, the little pixie smiled and waved while trying to hold back her laughter. Claire and Emily were in hysterics.

That's it. I'm going up there. I waited until Bella was occupied with flipping through her music to jump up a few rows to where Claire, Emily, and Alice were sitting.

"How are you, Edward darling?" Alice asked sweetly.

"I'd be better if you stopped embarrassing Bella. Don't make her feel uncomfortable, please," I said, meeting all of their eyes.

"Mr. Cullen, we didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable," Emily, the most innocent of the three, said apologetically.

"I know you didn't, Emily, but Alice and Claire were," I said, sending a pointed glare in their direction.

"Edward, loosen up. I know you don't want Bella to be uncomfortable, but she'll be fine. She needs to be more comfortable around you anyway," Alice said with a wink.

"Yeah Mr. Cullen, Bella needs to chill when it comes to you." I rolled my eyes.

"Just…be more discreet about it, OK? Do whatever you want, just don't get caught."

"Yes sir." "Yes Mr. Cullen." "Sure Edward." I shook my head and started walking back towards the front of the band.

After playing All Star, Rock and Roll All Nite, 8675309, and a few other songs, the band was released for third quarter. They quickly stowed all of their instruments in their cases and sprinted for the concession so they could get their sugar highs from sour candy. I saw Claire take off quickly, pull her phone out of her pocket, waver her friends off, and head towards the corner of the stadium.

"I'm sorry to leave you, but I am needed at the moment," I told Bella as I got up and began fast-walking towards Claire.

Claire was the strongest person I've ever met and she was only fourteen. Her story is a sad one. Her father was never in the picture, but that made her devotion to her mother, the only family that Claire had, that much stronger. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer around Christmas last year, she was given six months to live. That was eight months ago and, as of last week, her mother wasn't going to last much longer. At the moment, Claire and her mother had a hospice nurse named Peggy living with them around the clock to deal with any health problems that may arise. They were living off of the money Claire's mother inherited from her parents, who died years ago and were from the upper crust of society. The past few weeks have been especially hard on Claire. She told me that her mother was having problems eating and staying awake for more than a few hours at a time.

Through all of this, I had never seen her cry.

She told me so that someone inside the school would know the situation and she wouldn't have to call the school when her mother died. Last year, I gave her my cell phone number so that she could always call me and I would deal with the school and get her excused from class without making it a big deal. She didn't want everyone to ask why she was gone for a couple days because she didn't want anyone to know.

Claire never explained to me why she never told anyone else about her mother's cancer. I did, however, have faith in her and I trusted that her reasons were valid. I refused to believe that she was ashamed. Instead, I think she was trying to hold her world at school together while her world at home was falling apart around her. Her silence is her way of controlling her life. She could be a total mess at home, but she refused to let it affect the seven hours where she can let her cares go.

While that sounds like she was being amazingly blasé, I think she cared too much. She knew that if she thought about her mother's sickness at school, she would breakdown and she wouldn't be able to face school after her mother is gone. It was a defense mechanism that ensured she would have a constant she could hold on to when she couldn't hold on to her mother.

She made it look easy. She laughed, she lived, she ate, she danced, she made music, she kissed Quil, she loved Bella, she did her homework, she was a ball of happiness and love. She made me swear last year that I would forget that her mother was sick and treat her like anyone else, and for the most part I did because she acted like nothing was wrong. When she first asked me to forget it, I thought she was crazy to expect me to forget something that big. As time went on, she made it easy for me to think of her as every other stress-free student.

In the back of my mind, I was always reminded of the strength that Claire possessed and used every single day. It was the strength to laugh, to forget, to love, to persevere.

"Claire, what happened?" I asked as I finally reached her. She closed the phone slowly and started taking deep, rhythmic breaths. Her whole body was tense, but her face refused to show any sadness or fear.

"She's…doing a lot worse. I won't be at school tomorrow. Can you figure out some lie to tell Bella?" she said in a flat voice and refused to meet my eyes.

"OK, call me if you need anything at all. I mean it, anything. Do you need a ride home?" I asked. I didn't push her to tell Bella the truth; I didn't ask for details, all I did was offer help. That's what she needed from me, not someone to confide in. I had a feeling Bella would be that person when the time came.

"Peggy already called a cab. Can you take my clarinet back to the band room?" she asked, looking up at me for the first time. She didn't hide the fear from her eyes as they met mine. I nodded before gently pulling her into a hug and chastely kissing her cheek in an attempt to provide some comfort. "Mr. Cullen, I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Don't mention it, sweetie. I promise that I'm glad to help." I released her and patted her back once.

"My mother told me to thank you. She made me promise to tell you," she whispered, looking down.

"Tell her that she has a wonderful daughter that deserves to have a helping hand," I said softly, letting her stare at the ground.

"I'll tell her. I know she'll love to hear that you said that. I'll call you soon, Mr. Cullen." Without meeting my eyes, she turned around and began sprinting to the yellow cab that was pulling up to the stadium.

I hoped I wouldn't get that call any time soon.

* * *

**AN: I know it has been almost two months. I'm horrible. But...to make up for it I have the next chapter written and should be up before the weekend. See? Do you feel a little bit better now? Is the sun shining and unicorns dancing around you? BTW, do tell me how you feel about this twist. I have an idea of where I'm going to take this story and...I think it'll work.**

**FUNFACT: Today in French, I asked my French teacher what 'zut' meant because I'd heard it on SNL when they have that French comedian on during the Weekend Update. Turns out it means 'damn!'. I just asked my teacher about the word 'damn'. That was super embarrassing when she made me look it up and read it to the class. **

**Thanks to my wonderful Beta, Music ADD, for....everything. That's broad enough. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


	11. Chapter 11: The Call

Chapter Eleven: The Call

BPOV

Tonight is a big night. I'm going to Edward's apartment and he's going to cook dinner for me.

And I'm as nervous as a cat about to be dunked into a bucket of cold water.

I've grown used to spending time with him, but alone in his apartment? That's a big deal, for me at least. I just...never dated. I've never even kissed a guy before. It has always seemed like such an intimidating and intimate thing. Before Edward, I'd never met a man I'd liked and felt comfortable enough with to want to kiss. Maybe that was the main reason I was nervous. I wanted to kiss Edw-

My thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Six o'clock on the dot. He was punctual, I'll give him that. I looked down at the simple purple dress that went down to my knees and felt heavenly against my skin. I tightened the hair band in my ponytail quickly and made sure I hadn't put my simple silver pendent necklace on backwards. My heart was pounding as I walked to the door and opened it carefully.

"Good evening, Ms. Swan. I must say you look beautiful tonight," Edward said gracefully. I blushed and gave him a look over. The dark wash jeans fit him perfectly and matched the purple of my dress. The simple white button-up shirt provided a great contrast with the dark jeans and hugged his chest snugly to show off his muscles. His hair was his normal just-rolled-out-of-bed-but-I-make-it-work style. I started when I noticed he was waiting for me to take his arm so he could escort me out of my apartment building.

He was trying to be a gentleman and I was giving him the once-over. Great.

"Thanks." I let him lead me to his car in a comfortable silence. After he opened the passenger door for me, I slid in and he walked around to the driver's side. I was relieved when he broke the silence with a compliment on how helpful the band had been with unloading the truck this morning.

"I am very proud of my kids. Class wasn't the same without Claire, though. I hope she gets better." My favorite opinionated, but loving, student was indeed missing. After Edward followed her during third quarter, he came back a few minutes later and told me Claire threw up and had to go home. Class was quiet without her.

"Yes, well…I hope she'll be back soon," Edward said, but his voice sounded off. He stared at the road blankly. I didn't press it and chose to stare at the passing buildings.

I'd never been on this side of town. It was the rich side, where you had to have money and belong to a country club to own an apartment in this area. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that Edward had money as well as good looks, a good heart, and musical talent.

"This is a great building," I said as he pulled up into a parking spot in the front of a dark brown building that reached at least thirty stories high. It had an aura of class and elegance. I was afraid that I'd feel over dressed, but now I feel like my dress would fit in.

"It was a graduation present from my parents last year. Their friends own the building and they felt safer with me close to family friends," Edward explained as he led me through the wide front doors. Instead of heading towards the elevators, he went straight across the marble lobby floor to a door with a large number one on it. "I live on the first floor. It was easier to move my furniture in," he told me with a smile that nearly made my knees go weak. I gasped when I saw his living room. I slowly stepped in the apartment and Edward followed behind, closing the door softly.

"Welcome to my home," he said, waving an arm as if to introduce it.

"It is perfect, Edward," I said, and I meant it. There were beautiful shades of brown all over the perfectly decorated room and the accent color, blue, was skillfully incorporated throughout. The highlights of the room were the large, brown leather couch and the flat screen TV hanging on the wall across form the couch.

"I like it. Esme and Alice sure had a blast decorating it for me." I smiled, imaging the two of them running around with paint chips pressed to the wall, trying to figure out how to match the color to the lighting in every area of the room. "Are you ready to eat?" Edward asked.

"Sure, it smells great." I followed him into what appeared to be a breakfast nook that was set up with a table for two. Wine, plates, silverware, and breadsticks were waiting for us when we walked in. Edward pulled out a chair for me before excusing himself to get the lasagna. He came back carrying a piping hot and heavenly-looking container of lasagna.

"Some for you," he said as he served my plate, "and some for me," he finished, setting some on his plate before setting the whole container on the closest kitchen counter. "I hope you like lasagna," he said as he sat down.

"I love it. It was the only thing my mother could make so we had it a lot growing up," I explained. We proceeded to settle into a nice rhythm of flirting and conversation. As pathetic as it sounds, this was the first true blue dinner date that I'd ever had. He made me laugh and I made him smile his beautiful smile and I had never felt more happy and carefree.

"…and then Emmett started stripping and running around Wal-Mart in nothing but his underpants. Esme, of course, took a picture, framed it, and has been hanging in their bathroom for over a decade now." I was clutching my sides as Edward finished his story.

"No way! It's great to have some dirt on Emmett. I'm sure I'll be able to use it sometime," I said with a wide smile. Edward was about to say something else when his phone rang. He held up his finger and his face looked apologetic as he looked at the caller ID. His face fell quickly.

"Oh shit."

EPOV

_Claire._

"Hello? Are you OK? What's wrong?" I answered quickly, instinctively rising part-way out of my seat.

"Mr. Cullen, she…passed. I won't be at school tomorrow. Will you please tell the school? I'll be back Friday." Her voice cracked at the end.

"Listen, are you alone?" I asked. Bella gave me a questioning look that I had to ignore.

"I'm fine. Peggy is with me." I stood completely up and began digging through a cupboard until I found the school directory.

"Listen, I'll be at your house as soon as I can."

"Mr. Cullen, you really don't have to do that. Really, I'll be fine. I just need a day," she insisted, but I could hear the strain in her voice.

"Bella is with me." I finally found her address and realized it was only five minutes away. "I'll be there in five minutes. Do you mind if I explain to Bella on the way?" I heard her sigh before she accidently let out a sob.

"No." She began to cry softly.

My heart was breaking for this young teenage girl. I felt the urgency of the situation running through my veins.

"We'll be right there, I promise. We'll work this out." I hung up quickly and ran towards the door. "Bella, we have to go. Now. Claire is in trouble."

"What?" She started sprinting towards the door. I slammed it closed after her without bothering to lock it. She barely beat me to the car. I started the car and began driving furiously towards Claire's address. "Explain it to me right now or so help me-"

"Claire's mother just died of cancer. She has no other family. She told me last year when her mother was diagnosed so that someone could handle the school and not make it a big deal. She didn't want anyone else to know. She became a master at hiding her home life and living fully for the school hours. She called me and told me that her mom had died and that she would be missing school tomorrow but back on Friday. I insisted that we come over because she only has the hospice nurse with her and I can't leave her like that. She needs you, Bella. She needs a mature adult that can help her handle this. She's been so strong, but she needs a person that she can trust to completely fall apart around. That's not me, that's not Peggy, that's not any friend at school, it has to be you."

"Oh Claire," Bella whispered. I expected for her to start yelling, or to start crying, but she just looked determined. "She's spending tonight and tomorrow at my apartment. She can't stay in that house tonight with all the memories of her mother." I was shocked that she took it in so quickly.

"Are you OK? Can you handle this? It's kinda out of the blue…" I asked as softly as I could as I slammed to a stop in front of Claire's address.

"I will process this later, but now is not the time." She looked at me intensely before throwing her door open. As I started to get out, I saw the curtain on the front door's window open slightly before Claire threw the door open. Bella and Claire sprinted toward each other before collapsing in the middle of the yard. I caught up to them quickly.

"Shh, it's OK Claire. You don't have to carry the world alone. We're here sweetie," Bella whispered soothingly.

"I know, I'm sorry Bella. I just…." Claire cried into Bella shoulder. Bella kept shushing her and rocking her.

"You can explain later, sweetie. Right now, just cry. I've got you, I've got you." Bella's hand began stroking Claire's hair softly. I saw one tear slide down Bella's cheek before she wiped it away quickly, determined to not let Claire see her cry.

In that moment, my heart broke. I knew I had to protect that little girl crying into Bella's shoulder.

* * *

**AN: I know, its sad. Poor Claire.**

**FUNFACT: I had the day off from school today for some teacher developement crap, but I had to get up at before SIX IN THE MORNING to interview a man with an English social history PhD. He was cool, but it was crazy early. **

**Thanks to Music ADD for everything. Thanks for reading and I like reviews, Emma**


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